New Abalonia rises

Posted by on May 6, 2022 in audio, blog, performance, projects, soundpedro | No Comments
New Abalonia rises

…in which we overreach once again…

We’re looking forward to an in-person showing at soundpedro2022 on June 4 after two years of virtual performances. I’ll be reusing the “PYO(m)C” engine to generate live audio for one portion of the event, while inviting attendees to do the same. With a little less than four weeks to go, I’m popping up a few teasers here to test the technology.

The concept

Most wikiGong projects start with a single premise–often something akin to a Zen koan–and then wait for hilarity to ensue. This one follows our usual MO:

Sovereign State of Mind: Anthem of New Abalonia

wikiGong presents an audiovisual portrait of an unknown maritime nation.

New Abalonia is that sovereign Nation comprising all objects afloat beyond internationally recognized territorial limits and not formally recorded as autonomous vessels by a globally recognized seagoing power. These are immediately and irrevocably claimed by the Nation, in perpetuity:

— all commercial shipping containers lost overboard along with their contents

— any unregistered ships, boats, submarines

— the Great Pacific Garbage Gyre

— icebergs and all objects thereon, regardless of origin or state of matter

— space launch vehicles and marine growths attached

— flotsam and jetsam

The New Abalonian National Anthem is a work in progress.

— From wikiGong.com’s application to soundpedro2022

Update May 2022

As we researched the topic of salvage further, we came across an entire body of maritime law addressing the concept. This will lead inevitably to refinement of our national principles and (ahem) Constitution. We are not, after all, pirates!

Implementation

Pour Your Own (musique) Concrète premiered last year online at soundpedro2021. The thrust of that project was to get a simple sample player into the hands of as many people as possible. The resulting web page plays pretty well on mobile phones, even in spotty-coverage areas (well, one needs a little patience). But a web-streaming format didn’t necessarily lead to an interactive web experience, and since I’m not tracking any stats on the web, it’s hard to tell whether “PYO(m)C” got much use.

I always intended to reuse and extend the engine once I finally got everything posted and working. So right now I’m optimizing a version of the interface for night viewing, and customizing the sample library to fit the “Anthem” proposal above. The plan is to provide two different approaches to the work:

  • We’ll set up the usual large-screen projection version in our assigned soundpedro location. I’ll provide the sound (arranged live!) from my mobile phone, using the new sample set and interface, and with a backup computer on-hand in case of a complete cellular blackout.
  • Our assigned spot this year is pretty far from the entrance, so we’re placing yard signs around the Angels Gate Cultural Center campus to lead the audience toward our performance location. The source material and media player will also be easily accessible via QR codes visible on the signs.

So even if only a few folks decide to trudge all the way past Hey Rookie Pool to our performance location, we should get the Song of New Abalonia url out there, scanned and bookmarked!

This is a working QR code currently pointing to the interface prototype. Feel free to test it out.

Song of New Abalonia QR Code

The venue

Saturday, June 4, 2022
7:00 — 10:00 pm
Angels Gate Cultural Center
3601 South Gaffey Street
San Pedro, California 90731
USA

Proof of vaccination is required. See more at http://angelsgateart.org/.